Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Steenbergs Organics
Tisane Description:
Steenbergs Organic Redbush Chai Tea combines with a delicious blend of Steenbergs organic spices with organic redbush tea to create our own wonderful organic redbush chai tea. You brew Steenbergs Organic Redbush Chai Tea in the same way as normal chai tea and can add sugar, honey or milk to taste.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
I have tried a couple of different teas from Steenbergs Organic now, and I must say that I’m continually impressed with their quality products! This Organic Redbush Chai is no exception. This is a wonderful spiced tisane!
I know I’ve mentioned this on more than one occasion, but there is a big difference in flavor between conventionally grown rooibos and organically grown rooibos. The organic rooibos is SO much better. The conventionally grown rooibos tends to have a very woody taste, veering on the side of “sour wood” that is somewhat off-putting. However, I don’t really notice the sour wood taste in the organic rooibos … yes, it still tastes “woody” but, not like sour wood. Not an off-putting woody tone.
And in this particular blend, the difference is important because unlike some other rooibos blends where the rooibos is indistinguishable, here, the rooibos is tasted. The natural woody and nutty flavors of the rooibos, as well as the sweetness of the rooibos, meld beautifully with the spices.
I taste the peppery notes of the ginger and the pepper accentuates the ginger nicely, offering a pleasantly warm taste without coming across as overtly spicy. The cardamom and cloves give the cup a solid background of spice – exotic, warm and inviting. The lemongrass perks up the cup just a little bit without being too obvious a flavor.
But what I’m liking best about this particular blend is that the cinnamon is nicely done. It isn’t overdone – and this is so often the case with chai blends. Here the cinnamon is sweet, yet spicy, but not overly sweet or spicy. It doesn’t taste like cinnamon candy. It tastes the way cinnamon should taste!
Bravo to Steenbergs Organic for yet another well-crafted chai! Very nice, indeed.
Organic Energizing Chai Blend from Zen Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu-erh Tea & Yerba Maté
Where to Buy: Zen Tea
Tea Description:
Velvety, mellow and deep, this chai is an enticing blend of energizing pu-erh tea, shade-grown yerba maté, and cacao. Made even more inviting by creamy vanilla, nutty coconut and fruity, pungent and uplifting Ayurvedic long pepper. It is the most sophisticated take on hot cocoa.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I was skeptical. A chai blend with a pu-erh and yerba maté base? Sounds way too earthy for my liking! But, this Organic Energizing Chai Blend from Zen Tea is really quite smooth and tasty!
I don’t know if its really “fair” to call it a chai, because the only “chai” spices it has is pepper (and this is long pepper, not the usual black pepper) and cardamom. But OK, since, chai technically means “tea” and not spiced tea, I’ll accept that this is a chai.
But, that criticism notwithstanding, this is still really tasty. It’s not overtly spicy, and not nearly as spicy as I would like a “chai” to be, but, I like this for what it is. And what it is is a smooth, sweet, warm blend that brings together the flavors of chocolate, coconut and vanilla in a really exciting way.
As I mentioned before, the base of this chai is a pu-erh tea and Argentinian Yerba Maté. Both of these ingredients contribute to the earthy notes of the cup, and this is a very prominent taste to this drink. But, I am not finding it off-putting, and I’m not sure if it’s because the coconut and vanilla give it a pleasant smooth, creaminess that seems to soften the earthy tones or because the earthiness complements the chocolate notes so well (or perhaps a bit of both of these reasons!) The Pu-erh is more pronounced than the Yerba Maté, but I can taste both in this cup.
The chocolate is really nice here. It has a deep, rich, almost toasty flavor to it, and this is nicely accented with the sweet, creamy notes from the vanilla and coconut. Overall, this is a really tasty cup – certainly different from the typical chai! But, I like this one for its differences. This is not one I’d recommend to someone looking for a good, spicy chai, but, rather, someone who was looking for something that is a departure from that spicy chai. This is not spicy … but it is tasty!
I like it!
PRODUCT REVIEW: Tiger Spice Chai Mix from David Rio
Product Information:
Where to Buy: David Rio
Product Description:
David Rio’s signature and award winning chai is a rich and creamy mixture of black tea and premium spices including cinnamon, cardamom and clove. A percentage of profits from the sale of ALL David Rio Tiger Spice Chai® will be donated to the International Fund for Animal Welfare (www.ifaw.org). For more info, visit ourAnimal Welfare page.
Learn more about this instant chai mix here.
I received a packet of this instant chai mix in my January Love with Food box.
Taster’s Review:
In addition to my tea addiction … I also consider myself a bit of a foodie, and I enjoy receiving a couple of “food tasting boxes” every month. I subscribe to a couple of them, including Love with Food. Love with Food is a great company that every month, sends out boxes that are filled with little samples of food items. And for every box sent, Love with Food donates a meal to a hungry child. I like that.
In January, I received a package of this Tiger Spice Chai Mix from David Rio. Now, this isn’t the first time I’ve tried the Tiger Spice Chai Mix from David Rio … I had the opportunity to try their products years ago, after being introduced to them through a hot beverage convention that I attended back when I was still self-employed as a tea vendor. I enjoyed it back then, and I’m enjoying it now.
It has a creamy, sweet-spiced taste. It is … in my opinion, too sweet. I’d rather be able to sweeten it myself than to have all that sugar added to my chai, but, as a once in a while treat for myself, I think I can handle the occasional sweet drink. And since this is the first time I’ve had this chai in … probably six or seven years, I’d say that’s once in quite a while!
And since that last time that I tried this chai … I can say that my taste buds have really come a long way. I used to really LOVE this stuff. It’s still … OK … but, it’s not all that I thought it once was. The black tea is quite obscured by the sugar and the creamer used in the mix. The spices are not very spicy … they’re pretty mellow in comparison to other chai blends I’ve had recently, and a bit more mellow than I would like it to be.
It’s drinkable, certainly, but not something that I would want to drink on a regular basis, and as it is pumped up with a lot of sugar and corn syrup solids, it’s probably better that way. I enjoyed it, but, certainly not as much as I would have enjoyed a chai that I had more control over – that I could decide how much sweetener (if any) I would add, and how much milk/cream/creamer I would add, if any.
That said, I think it’s commendable that David Rio is committed to Animal Welfare. You can read more about that here.
Bombay Masala Chai from Chai Diaries
Chai Information:
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Chai Diaries
Chai Description:
This stunning blend of black tea, ginger, cinnamon, green cardamom, and other natural flavors is Bombay at its finest, an alpha city with an alpha palette. Only now, you can brew it for yourself in the quiet dim of your kitchen.
Learn more about this chai here.
Taster’s Review:
As you’re probably well aware by now, I love a good chai! And this Bombay Masala Chai from Chai Diaries is really, really good! And the most surprising thing about that is that it’s in a sachet! That’s right … I found a really, really good bagged chai!
I don’t often get excited over a sacheted tea of any type, but, I like the idea of a a sacheted chai because … as I’ve often lamented about in the past, when brewing chai “stovetop” style – simmering the tea leaves in a pan of milk or a combination of milk and water – it results in a mess. Sure, the flavor is better when the chai is prepared stovetop, but, it’s so rarely worth the mess that I’d have to clean up to brew chai stovetop. But, with a sacheted chai … this cuts the cleanup considerably! This will make it EASY to brew chai stovetop, if so desired!
For the purposes of this review, however, I didn’t steep it stovetop. I did steep it in water, extra strong – I used two silky pyramid sachets instead of one – so that I could make a latte out of it, but if you want to drink it straight, just use one sachet. Since I was in the mood for a creamy, rich chai latte, I grabbed two sachets. And the result is YUMMY!
The black tea is not an assertive black tea, but it is not what I’d call “mellow” either. It manages to stand its own. It’s strong and flavorful and offers a nice base for the masala spices. The cinnamon is the strongest spice I notice, but it isn’t really a spicy-hot cinnamon (like red hots) or even a “sweet” cinnamon … it’s somewhere in between … or perhaps more accurately, it’s a little of both. It’s like someone took a spicy-hot cinnamon and mixed it with a sweet cinnamon, and the result is a complex cinnamon note that is rich and really delicious.
The ginger pops out around mid-sip, and since I did take a sip of the chai before I added the steamed milk, I will say that the ginger was much more prominent prior to adding milk. The milk softens the peppery kick of the ginger a tad. But, it is still there … just not quite as bold. The cardamom adds a nice, exotic sweetness and warmth to the cup, and I love the vanilla … in fact, the vanilla may be my favorite part here, because when combined with the creaminess of the milk … it becomes a very decadent treat! Almost like dessert! So good!
As far as “heat” goes, I’d rate this a medium heat chai. It’s not super spicy (although it is spicier when you don’t add milk, and you don’t really need to with the vanilla notes which add a nice dimension of creaminess to the non-latte version of this chai), but it’s not what I’d call a mild chai either. It’s got some heat to it, and it is very well-spiced … warm but not too hot.
A very pleasant chai … one I look forward to revisiting soon!
Thé des Fakirs (Green Tea Chai) from Le Palais des Thés
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Le Palais des Thés
Tea Description:
A tasty, scented blend of green tea and spices (cardamom and clove) with a hint of citrus. Delicious hot or iced.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I love spiced chai blends, and I’ve said that on more than one occasion, I’m sure. However, I am usually partial to chai blends crafted with a black tea base, and I’m not always as excited over the green tea based chai blends. However, this Thé des Fakirs (Green Tea Chai) from Le Palais des Thés is making a believer out of me!
This blend does not contain all the “usual” spices that I typically find in a chai blend. This blend focuses on just cardamom and clove, and personally, I think it was the right decision to omit the stronger spices of cinnamon and ginger, as these can be rather aggressive spices and can sometimes overpower the more delicate green tea base. By eliminating the cinnamon and ginger (and other spices like fennel or pepper), the drinker can enjoy not just the warmth and exotic flavor of cloves and cardamom, but also the sweet, lush notes of the green tea.
This tea offers a really lovely balance of flavors. The orange brightens the cup, adding just a touch of sweetness. The spices are warm but not overwhelmingly spicy. The green tea is sweet and slightly buttery. It’s a really nice combination of flavors. I found this to be delightful served warm (just a tiny drizzle of honey helped bring out the spices a little bit without making the cup too sweet) and it was also really good as the cup began to cool … this would make a really nice alternative to the typical glass of iced tea!